Narendra Modi made a surprise stopover in Pakistan to meet his counterpart, Nawaz Sharif. It is the first time an Indian prime minister has visited the rival nation in more than a decade. Modi was on his way back to India after a visit to Russia and a stopover in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul earlier on Friday. The two leaders held a brief conversation at the climate change talks in Paris late last month, part of efforts to restart a peace dialogue plagued by attacks and long-standing distrust. The two countries have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over Kashmir. A ceasefire agreed in 2003 remains in place, but the neighbors often accuse each other of violating it. Modi had called up the Pakistani PM from Kabul, informing Sharif of his planned stopover in Lahore, according to Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, who added that Kashmir, among other issues, was discussed in the meeting. Chaudhry added that the Indian Foreign Secretary,
Subrahmanyan Jaishankar, would visit Islamabad next month to continue the dialogue. Jaishankar was in Islamabad earlier this year for the first meeting with his Pakistani counterpart since New Delhi called off talks last year which had been aimed at easing the rivals' many disputes. "It was a spontaneous but bold and innovative decision to visit Pakistan," said Nalin Kohli, spokesperson for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. "The India-Pakistan story has many difficult issues lingering for decades. It is not an easy path ahead. But the two leaders are trying to establish a personal equation that can add momentum to the structured process of official talks in the future." The relations between the two countries were at a low and Modi's visit was seen as a baby step towards improvements in ties. "Modi was flying back from Kabul so, behind the scenes in Lahore, they would've talked about Kabul, especially since the Pakistan army chief is due to visit Afghanistan in the next
couple of days," Hyder said. "But while this visit is seen as a significant step in improvement of relations, several key issues still remain unresolved, including Kashmir and Indians insisting on a expeditious trial for the Mumbai suspects."